Brief Screening for Lifetime History of Criminal Victimization at Mental Health Intake

This study determined the proportion of new intake clients identified as crime victims at a community mental health center using standard intake methods and using a brief victimization screening questionnaire. Results indicated that by using the screening questionnaire, the proportion of clients identified as physical assault victims nearly doubled, and the proportions of clients identified as sexual assault victims or survivors of homicide victims more than tripled. Brief victimization screening is recommended for all initial intake interviews.